Nativo Lopez
Encyclopedia
Nativo Lopez-Vigil is a Chicano
political leader and immigrant rights activist in Southern California
. Lopez is the president of the Mexican American Political Association
and the national director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana (formerly the Hermandad Mexicana Nacional), a community service and advocacy organization for Mexican and Latin American immigrants throughout the United States.
and Cesar Chavez
. Prior to college at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Lopez who was born Larry Nativo Lopez, changed his name to Nativo Vigil Lopez. He organized student walk-outs from high schools in order to demonstrate for education reform. He was involved in successful efforts to win a large-scale amnesty for illegal immigrants in 1986, and became involved in a campaign to allow illegal immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses in the 1990s.
Lopez served on the school board of Santa Ana, California
for six years, from 1997 until 2003. He was recalled from office after a campaign led by Ron Unz
, the multi-millionaire backer of California Proposition 227, which prohibited bilingual education programs. He was accused of failing to enforce Prop 227, informing parents of their rights under the new law to opt for bilingual education for their children. He sued to challenge the use of English-only recall petitions as a violation of the Voting Rights Act
, and won in the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court, although the case is not yet resolved. Another issue involved in the recall campaign was the proposed construction of an elementary school in the wealthiest side of Santa Ana, but opposed by the majority wealthy Republican and conservative constituency of the city. Lopez was recalled by 71% of the voters and lost every single one of the 16 precincts were the ballots were cast, including areas with majority Latino voters.
Lopez, backed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, filed a lawsuit against the petition and recall process, claiming the English-only petitions violated the Voting Rights Act
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19. California began providing Spanish-language ballots statewide in 2002, and local jurisdictions also provide multilingual election materials. But petitions, which are written by ordinary people hoping to change laws from the grass-roots level, are often available in English onlyhttp://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19.
the initial suit, Padilla v. Lever, sought to prevent the recall election
from proceeding. The suit unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent the election from occurring, after the petition signatures had been collected and certified by Orange County elections officials. The district court denied the injunction. After the recall election took place and Lopez was recalled, the plaintiffs appealed to a 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuithttp://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19. There, the idea that the recall election was illegal was originally upheld, although an en banc
panel later overturned that decision.
Lopez assisted in organizing the 2006 United States immigration reform protests
, both the March 25, 2006 demonstration of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people in Los Angeles, and the Great American Boycott
on May 1, 2006, which involved between 500,000 and about 1,000,000 people in Los Angeles. On April 13, 2006, Lopez appeared on Lou Dobbs
' television show, where he argued that "illegal immigrant" is an offensively racist term on par with "wop
," "nigger
," or "kike
."
After numerous attempts to set his preliminary hearing date during Los Angeles Superior Court hearings from February to May 2010 were postponed by Nativo Lopez's refusal to identify himself, including in Dept. 95, Mental Competency Court, Lopez was sent back to Dept. 36, where his preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 12, 2010. An article appeared that questioned whether he still represents MAPA because his local chapter and his Hermandad Nacional corporation have both been suspended, according to the Secretary of State. Lopez still continues his involvement with the Association for the Preservation of Gamefowl (APG)), which has been featured on various cockfighting websites. As late as March 2010, the MAPA/APG chapter was still providing political advocacy and holding poultry shows.
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
political leader and immigrant rights activist in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Lopez is the president of the Mexican American Political Association
Mexican American Political Association
Mexican American Political Association is an organization that promotes the interests of Mexican-Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, Chicanos, Hispanics and Latino Economic Refugees in the United States.-History:...
and the national director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana (formerly the Hermandad Mexicana Nacional), a community service and advocacy organization for Mexican and Latin American immigrants throughout the United States.
Biography
Lopez, born in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, grew up in Norwalk, California. He became an activist in 1968, inspired by Bert CoronaBert Corona
Humberto Noé "Bert" Corona was an American labor and civil rights leader. Throughout his long career, he worked with nearly every major Mexican-American organization, founding or co-founding several. He organized workers for the Congress of Industrial Organizations and fought on the behalf of...
and Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
. Prior to college at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Lopez who was born Larry Nativo Lopez, changed his name to Nativo Vigil Lopez. He organized student walk-outs from high schools in order to demonstrate for education reform. He was involved in successful efforts to win a large-scale amnesty for illegal immigrants in 1986, and became involved in a campaign to allow illegal immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses in the 1990s.
Lopez served on the school board of Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
for six years, from 1997 until 2003. He was recalled from office after a campaign led by Ron Unz
Ron Unz
Ronald Keeva Unz, is a former businessman and political activist, best known for an unsuccessful race in 1994 for the governorship of California, and for sponsoring propositions promoting structured English immersion education. In March 2007, The American Conservative named him its new publisher...
, the multi-millionaire backer of California Proposition 227, which prohibited bilingual education programs. He was accused of failing to enforce Prop 227, informing parents of their rights under the new law to opt for bilingual education for their children. He sued to challenge the use of English-only recall petitions as a violation of the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
, and won in the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court, although the case is not yet resolved. Another issue involved in the recall campaign was the proposed construction of an elementary school in the wealthiest side of Santa Ana, but opposed by the majority wealthy Republican and conservative constituency of the city. Lopez was recalled by 71% of the voters and lost every single one of the 16 precincts were the ballots were cast, including areas with majority Latino voters.
Lopez, backed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, filed a lawsuit against the petition and recall process, claiming the English-only petitions violated the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19. California began providing Spanish-language ballots statewide in 2002, and local jurisdictions also provide multilingual election materials. But petitions, which are written by ordinary people hoping to change laws from the grass-roots level, are often available in English onlyhttp://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19.
the initial suit, Padilla v. Lever, sought to prevent the recall election
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
from proceeding. The suit unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent the election from occurring, after the petition signatures had been collected and certified by Orange County elections officials. The district court denied the injunction. After the recall election took place and Lopez was recalled, the plaintiffs appealed to a 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuithttp://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/19/local/me-initiative19. There, the idea that the recall election was illegal was originally upheld, although an en banc
En banc
En banc, in banc, in banco or in bank is a French term used to refer to the hearing of a legal case where all judges of a court will hear the case , rather than a panel of them. It is often used for unusually complex cases or cases considered to be of greater importance...
panel later overturned that decision.
Lopez assisted in organizing the 2006 United States immigration reform protests
2006 United States immigration reform protests
In 2006, millions of people participated in protests over a proposed change to U.S. immigration policy. The protests began in response to proposed legislation known as H.R. 4437, which would raise penalties for Illegal immigration and classify illegal immigrants and anyone who helped them enter or...
, both the March 25, 2006 demonstration of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people in Los Angeles, and the Great American Boycott
Great American Boycott
The Great American Boycott was a one-day boycott of United States schools and businesses by immigrants, both legal and illegal, of mostly Latin American origin that took place on May 1, 2006.The date was chosen by boycott organizers to coincide with May Day, the International Workers Day observed...
on May 1, 2006, which involved between 500,000 and about 1,000,000 people in Los Angeles. On April 13, 2006, Lopez appeared on Lou Dobbs
Lou Dobbs
Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
' television show, where he argued that "illegal immigrant" is an offensively racist term on par with "wop
Wop
Wop is a pejorative racial slur for people from Italy that originated in the United States but is also used in the UK. There is an urban myth that the term "wop" is an acronym for "without papers" as many of the Italian immigrants did not have identification or visas...
," "nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
," or "kike
Kike
Kike is a derogatory slur used to refer to a Jew.-Etymology:The source of the term is uncertain. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it may be an alteration of the endings –ki or –ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early...
."
Indicted on Voter Fraud
On June 25, 2009, Lopez was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office with four felonies: fraudulent voter registration, fraudulent document filing, perjury and fraudulent voting. Lopez allegedly leased office space in Boyle Heights and registered to vote using that address although he lived with his family in Orange County. It is further alleged that Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Assn., cast an illegal ballot in L.A. in the 2008 presidential primary. If convicted, Lopez could serve up to three years in prison.After numerous attempts to set his preliminary hearing date during Los Angeles Superior Court hearings from February to May 2010 were postponed by Nativo Lopez's refusal to identify himself, including in Dept. 95, Mental Competency Court, Lopez was sent back to Dept. 36, where his preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 12, 2010. An article appeared that questioned whether he still represents MAPA because his local chapter and his Hermandad Nacional corporation have both been suspended, according to the Secretary of State. Lopez still continues his involvement with the Association for the Preservation of Gamefowl (APG)), which has been featured on various cockfighting websites. As late as March 2010, the MAPA/APG chapter was still providing political advocacy and holding poultry shows.
See also
- Chicano MovementChicano MovementThe Chicano Movement of the 1960s, also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento, is an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1940s with the stated goal of achieving Mexican American empowerment.-Origins:The Chicano Movement...